A woman who had a relationship with a Sussex County Sheriff's officer allegedly tipped off others about surprise drug testing after the officer warned her about it.
SOMERVILLE -- A Sussex County Sheriff's officer who allegedly had a sexual relationship with a woman undergoing drug probation and tipped her off to surprise drug testing will undergo a mental health evaluation as part the conditions of his bail agreement.
Superior Court Judge Robert B. Reed modified the bail conditions of William R. Lunger, Jr., 35, of Hamburg, Tuesday at Somerset County Superior Court, where the case was transferred.
Reed modified the original bail amount of $50,000 to release on his own recognizance pending the outcome of mental health evaluation.
Lunger was charged Monday with four counts of official misconduct, one count of engaging in a pattern of misconduct, one count of conspiring to defraud a drug test and one count of theft, according to an affidavit filed by Detective Christopher Grogan with the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office.
Lunger allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with a woman undergoing supervised probation through the drug court program, tipped her off to surprise weekend drug screenings and stole testing kits for her to use.
That woman, in turn, allegedly tipped off others to weekend drug testing, more commonly known as a "blitz."
Assistant Chief Probation Officer Star Felty told Grogan in an interview that during the March 20 blitz a large number of urine samples were diluted indicating that drug court participants may have had advance knowledge of the surprise screening.
Sussex County Sheriff Michael Strada told NJ Advance Media Monday that Lunger was suspended without pay from his $84,984 position pending the outcome of the charges against him.
Lunger, wearing a mustard yellow prison outfit, appeared with his lawyer Jeffrey Ziegelheim, where he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Ziegelheim declined to comment on the case.
Reed said he authorized four search warrants in relation to the case, including one for Lunger's home computer and cell phone.
The case was transferred from the Sussex County Courthouse to Somerset by Superior Court Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz due to a conflict of interest.
The relationship between Lunger and the woman allegedly ran from August or September 2015 until March 2016.
Lunger, who is married, sent numerous text messages including photos of his genitals to the woman. The woman also told authorities she and Lunger had sex while he was in uniform and he was working as a sheriff's officer including in the courthouse and the sheriff's department kitchen.
Fausto Giovanny Pinto may be reached at fpinto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @FGPreporting. Find NJ.com on Facebook.